The Baltimore Ravens made a power move to try to drastically improve an offense that was one of the worst in the league in 2013, hiring Gary Kubiak as their new offensive coordinator.

Kubiak will replace Jim Caldwell, who was hired as the new head coach of the Detroit Lions and may have not been retained anyway. The former Houston Texans head coach beat out a number of other candidates for the position in what turned into a rather lengthy interviewing process by the Ravens.

In addition, the Ravens have hired Rick Dennison as the quarterback coach, which means Jim Hostler, once considered a leading candidate for the offensive coordinator job, is likely on his way out the door.

Kyle Shanahan, who was rumored to be one of the leading candidates for the offensive coordinator position and likely to join the staff in some capacity, will not be hired. It's unclear whether Shanahan simply decided it wasn't a good fit or if the Ravens couldn't find a spot for him.

If nothing else, the Ravens should have a vastly improved running game under Kubiak, who really worked his magic with the ground attack in both Denver and Houston. Both teams featured some of the top rushing attacks in the league while he was the offensive coordinator and head coach with those organizations.

It should also help that Juan Castillo, considered a guru for run-blocking, now has complete authority over the offensive line. It seemed like there might have been too many cooks in the kitchen last year for the offensive line, though injuries and Matt Birk's retirement were also major factors in their struggles.

I really like the move. Other than Norv Turner, Kubiak was the best man available for the job. Handing over the job to a very inexperienced Hostler, which would have also been an in-house move, would have been a major mistake.

There are no excuses from the players next year about a bad system or poor coaching. It's on Joe Flacco, Ray Rice, the receivers and the offensive line to be a top 10 offense.

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Steve DeClue has always had a passion for Baltimore-area sports. He covered the Baltimore Ravens for Baltimoresun.com and Scout.com. If you are looking for your fix on sports around the Beltway, Steve's your man. You may contact Steve with your comments and questions.